The Influence of Occupational Socialization on Novice Teachers’ Practical Knowledge, Confidence and Teaching in Physical Education

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to examine the influence of occupational socialization on three novice physical education teachers’ practical knowledge, confidence in teaching content and enacted pedagogical practices. This study involved three novice teachers who taught in Finnish primary schools. Data sources included nonparticipant lesson observations and semi-structured in-depth teacher interviews. The analysis occurred in two phases. Initially, we created a case narrative for each teacher with respect to the research questions through an inductive process that integrated the occupational socialization theory. For the second phase, a cross-case analysis was completed to provide a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the data set. Each teacher’s occupational socialization experiences influenced their teaching confidence, planning practices and enacted pedagogical actions. In addition, the teacher education program experience extended their practical knowledge and was evident in their PE teaching. Therefore, in designing the pedagogical structure in teacher education, it is essential to consider pre-service teachers’ experiences about teaching, schooling, sport and physical education and thereby strengthen their knowledge and skills of how to teach physical education and provide students with quality learning experiences.